Mixed-mode interaction

ABSTRACT

A user of a wireless device, such as a mobile phone, can make purchases or obtain information via a network, such as the Internet, using both voice and non-verbal methods. Users can submit voice queries and receive non-verbal replies, submit non-verbal queries and receive voice replies, or perform similar operations that marry the voice and data capabilities of modern mobile communication devices. The user may provide notification criteria indicating under what conditions a notification should be sent to the user&#39;s wireless device. When purchasing opportunities matching the selected notification criteria become available, the user is notified. The user can respond to the notification, and immediately take advantage of the purchasing opportunity if he so desires. Mixed-mode interactions can also be used by sellers to more advantageously control the marketing of distressed, time sensitive, or other merchandise/services.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/217,997 filed Jul. 13, 2000 entitled “MIXED-MODEINTERACTION/MOBILE PHONE BAR CODE ET AL,” of common assignee herewith.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to wireless devices, and moreparticularly to wireless devices using mixed voice and data.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In addition to their more traditional functions, mobile phones and otherwireless devices are currently capable of obtaining and displayinginformation from the Internet or other informational networks. However,unlike computers which usually have fairly large display screens, mobilephones and other relatively small wireless devices do not provide accessto the Internet that is as convenient as that provided by traditionalcomputers. Small wonder, since traditional “web browsing” was developedwith conventional sized computer displays in mind.

In order to overcome the limitations imposed by the smaller displayscreens of earlier wireless devices, a number of options have beenpursued by wireless device manufacturers and wireless service providersto provide more suitable Internet access. One of the more prevalentmethods has been to make the display screen larger. Of course, giventhat the overall dimensions of wireless devices have decreased, physicalconstraints continue to limit the effectiveness of such efforts. Anothermethod involves making more efficient use of available screen area bylimiting the display to primarily textual objects. The combination ofthese two methods has met with some degree of success, but otherobstacles to ease of use have not been overcome.

For example, traditional web browsing sometimes requires a user to entera uniform resource locator (URL) to access a particular web page. Thesmall size of most wireless devices makes entering text difficult, evenif a keyboard-style keypad is provided. When only a standardtelephone-style keypad is provided, entering text becomes that much moredifficult.

The inherent difficulties associated with using small interfaces andkeypads to navigate web sites is a direct barrier to the widespreadadoption of many Internet-type services. For wireless devices to becomepopular, an easier means for interacting with the “wireless web” wouldbe advantageous.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, what is needed is a way to leverage the voice functionalityavailable on many wireless devices, and the data capability associatedwith those same devices. Accordingly, at least one embodiment of thepresent invention provides a method that includes receiving spoken inputfrom a wireless communication device, and retrieving informationassociated with the spoken input. The method also includes delivering,to the wireless communication device, a non-verbal response to thespoken input. The non-verbal response is based on the retrievedinformation. In another embodiment, the input is non-verbal and theresponse is verbal.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a system comprisinga server configurable to receive spoken input from a wirelesscommunication device. The server is further configurable to retrieveinformation associated with the spoken input and to deliver, to thewireless communication device, a non-verbal response to the spokeninput. The non-verbal response is based on the retrieved information. Inanother embodiment, the input is non-verbal and the response is verbal.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention provides a method thatincludes obtaining, from a wireless communication device user, purchasenotification criteria, obtaining information associated with purchasingopportunities, and selecting purchasing opportunities based, at least inpart, on the purchase notification criteria. The method further includesnotifying the user of selected purchasing opportunities via a wirelesscommunication device, receiving spoken input from the wirelesscommunication device in response to the notification, and delivering, tothe user's wireless communication device, a non-verbal response to thespoken input. In another embodiment, the input is non-verbal and theresponse is verbal.

An advantage of at least one embodiment of the present invention is thatobtaining information from the Internet is more convenient than usingconventional wireless Internet access methods.

Another advantage of an embodiment of the present invention is thatmaking purchases from the Internet is easier than using conventionalwireless purchasing methods.

An additional advantage of at least one embodiment of the presentinvention is that merchants, suppliers and vendors can more effectivelymarket distressed, time sensitive, location sensitive or generalinventories of goods or services.

Yet another advantage of an embodiment of the present invention is thatsuppliers can more easily communicate with potential customers in amanner preferred by the customer, thereby increasing customerresponsiveness.

A further advantage is that various methods according to the presentinvention can be implemented using the voice and data capabilities ofexisting wireless devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects, advantages, features and characteristics of the presentinvention, as well as methods, operation and functions of relatedelements of structure, and the combination of parts and economies ofmanufacture, will become apparent upon consideration of the followingdescription and claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, allof which form a part of this specification, wherein like referencenumerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures, andwherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating various types of communicationpaths between a mobile subscriber and a server, according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a system for conducting mixed-modeelectronic commerce transactions according to one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating an “impulse” purchase transactionaccording to one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a block diagram representing a business model according to atleast one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1-4 illustrate a mixed voice/data wireless system that can be usedin conducting Internet commerce. As discussed in greater detail below,various embodiments of such a mixed-mode wireless system allow wirelesscustomers to make voice requests from their wireless devices and receivedata responses using the same, or different wireless devices.Alternatively, non-verbal requests can be made and verbal responsesreceived.

Referring first to FIG. 1, various mixed communication paths between amobile subscriber 110 and a web server 150 will be discussed. Mobilesubscriber 110 preferably includes individuals who are using wirelessdevices having both voice and data capabilities, however in at least oneembodiment a combination of one device having voice capabilities andanother device having data capabilities can be used. Primary examples ofdevices having both voice and data capabilities are certain cellular andPCS telephones. Devices having only voice capabilities include oldermobile phones, two-way radios and the like, while devices having datacapability include pagers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), mostcommon portable computers, and the like.

In at least one embodiment, mobile subscriber 110 initiatescommunication with web server 150 by issuing a voice request forinformation via voice request/response channel 112. Voicerequest/response channel 112 includes any necessary cellular or PCSstations, telephone lines, repeaters, routers, communications switches,etc. which are commonly used in making voice calls from a mobile phoneor other wireless device. The voice request is received by the speechservices 155 of web server 150, which translates the voice request intoa data format more suitable for processing by web server 150. Web server150, using data transformation services 240 or otherwise, retrieves theinformation requested by mobile subscriber 110 by accessing data sources190. Data sources 190 are preferably accessible through a network, suchas the Internet, but may include privately accessible data sources underthe control of the same person or organization controlling web server150. Once web server 150 has retrieved the necessary information fromdata sources 190, the information is delivered to mobile subscriber 110in a non-verbal format.

In other embodiments, mobile subscriber 110 initiates communicationusing a non-voice request submitted via user-initiated lookup channel118, and voice request/response channel 112 is used to deliver aresponse to the non-voice request. The non-verbal request is processedby web server 150, and the results are converted to voice format usingspeech services 155. The voice formatted results are then provided tomobile subscriber 110 via voice request/response channel 112. Exceptwhere specifically noted, throughout the remainder of this document,reference to procedures, events, methods, etc., in which a mobilesubscriber initiates communication via a voice request and receives anon-verbal response are intended to cover the converse situations inwhich the user initiates communication via non-verbal means and receivesa voice response.

As discussed above, a preferred embodiment of the present invention usesboth verbal and non-verbal request/reply formats. A number of non-verbalrequest/reply formats can be used in implementing the present invention,and various embodiments employ different combinations of one or moresuitable reply formats. One such reply format is a wireless markuplanguage (WML) response. WML is a data format similar to hypertextmarkup language (HTML), except that WML is tailored for use indelivering Internet or other content to mobile phones and other similarwireless devices, while HTML is more commonly used to deliver content toconventional processing systems such as laptop computers, desktopcomputers and workstations. WML allows wireless devices conforming tothe Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) to implement a web browser fordisplay of information on a screen, in a manner similar to the way HTMLcompliant web browsers are used to display information on computers withlarger screens. WML, like HTML, is tag-based, and supports text andimage presentation, data input and forms. WAP compliant wireless devicescommonly allow users to enter text by pressing number keys. In additionto WML and HTML, various embodiments of the present invention usemodified HTML, Palm Query Access (PQA) or other suitable protocols. Notethat in the following discussion, WML is used for exemplary purposesonly, that the discussion applies equally to other suitable protocolsincluding, but not limited to, those mentioned above.

When it is desired to send a WML request, or a WML response to a voicerequest, the WML request/response is sent via a WML response channel114, which includes a WAP gateway 160, which formats the responseaccording to WAP protocols for use with a wireless network. In apreferred embodiment of the present invention, WAP gateway 160 is anexisting third party gateway, various implementations of which can beutilized in implementing the present invention. If a version of WML,such as WML 1.1 requires an active browser session to exist, a userhaving only a single wireless device would need to terminate the voicecall that was used to send the voice request over voice request/responsechannel 112, and initiate a browser session in order to receive the WMLresponse. To accommodate this eventuality, delivery of the responsecould be delayed for a sufficient amount of time to allow the user toinitiate the required browser session. Other versions of WML, such asWML1.2, can provide the ability to deliver WML data without the need toinitiate an active browser session. The use of a protocol that does notrequire an active browser session for message transmission, negates theneed for a user to terminate a voice call before receiving a WMLresponse.

Another non-verbal request/reply format that can be employed accordingto one embodiment of the present invention is a short messaging service(SMS) message. SMS is a “push” based protocol that can push short textmessages to mobile phones and similar devices. Push technology is aclient/server based model in which a server initiates informationexchange with a client. Push transactions are the opposite of pulltransactions, in which clients initiate information exchanges withservers. Those skilled in the art will recognize that conventional webbrowsers employ primarily pull transactions to retrieve information fromdesired Internet addresses through the use of uniform resource locators(URLs). It should be noted, however, that even though SMS messages areexamples of the push model, SMS messages may be used in conjunction withpull protocols.

Consider, for example a mobile subscriber 110 who is driving through anunfamiliar city. Mobile subscriber 110 uses his mobile phone to make avoice request to receive information about restaurants that are near hispresent location. The voice request is delivered to web server 150, viavoice request/response channel 112, and web server 150 uses speechservices 155 to interpret the voice request. Web server 150 uses theinterpreted voice request to gather information from data sources 190,which may include Internet sites and/or other information sources. Inone embodiment, the information gathered by web server 150 could be theURL of a local entertainment web site that includes the name andlocation of restaurants in the area. In such an embodiment, web server150 pushes the URL back to mobile subscriber 110 in an SMS message viaan SMS message channel 116 that includes SMS gateway 170. As with WAPgateway 160, SMS gateway 170 is preferably a third party system used inimplementing various embodiments of the present invention. The user canthen view the SMS message, and use the URL to launch a browser thatwould retrieve (pull) the web page indicated by the URL. In anotherembodiment, specific pieces of information gathered by web server 150are compiled into a text SMS message that is delivered to mobilesubscriber 110 in place of or in addition to a URL. By providingspecific pieces of information in an SMS text message, there is no needfor a user to start a browser session to retrieve the desiredinformation.

Simple mail transport protocol (SMTP) is used to deliver a non-verbalresponse to mobile subscriber 110 in another embodiment. SMTP is onetype of electronic mail (e-mail) protocol, and allows informationgathered by web server 150 to be delivered to mobile subscriber 110 asan e-mail message or attachment. The information is preferably formattedas a text e-mail message, and delivered through SMTP gateway 180 and SMSgateway 170 to mobile subscriber 110. In the above example, instead ofinitiating communications using a voice request, mobile subscriber 110could have delivered an SMTP formatted e-mail request, and the webserver 150 could have delivered a voice response to the SMTP request.

In another embodiment of the present invention, mobile subscriber 110sets a bookmark to easily access the URL of a results page. Mobilesubscriber 110 delivers a voice request to web server 150 viauser-initiated lookup channel 118. Web server 150 gathers theinformation requested, and writes the information to a predeterminedresults page. Mobile subscriber 110 then retrieves the information fromthe predetermined results page using the bookmarked URL. The bookmarkedURL can be activated by typing the URL into an address bar, selecting anicon displayed on a screen, activating a predetermined button or seriesof buttons on the mobile device being used by mobile subscriber 110, orby any other suitable method.

The preceding discussion has discussed FIG. 1 largely as a system inwhich mobile subscriber 110 provides a voice request, and web server 150responds with a non-verbal reply. As noted earlier, however, the presentinvention may also be used “in reverse,” such that mobile subscriber 110provides a non-verbal request for information using a suitable protocol,such as SMTP, SMS or WML as previously described, and web server 150provides a verbal response to mobile subscriber 110 via voicerequest/response channel 112. Numerous suitable combinations of voiceand data interactions and protocols between mobile subscriber 110 andweb server 150 may be implemented according to the principles set forthherein.

Referring next to FIG. 2, a functional diagram of a mixed-mode system isillustrated, and designated generally by reference numeral 200. Services250 that mixed-mode system 200 can use in implementing variousembodiments of the present invention include, but are not limited to,voice wallet 252, rules engine 254, database 256, and location services259. HTTP server 220 accesses services 250 through data transformationservice 240 and message bus 270. Data transformation service 240 is alsoused to interface with notification server 230, and external commerceservers 260. User devices 210, which have been discussed in relationshipto mobile subscriber 110 in FIG. 1, can interface with HTTP server 220directly, or through speech services 155. Additionally, notificationscan be delivered to user devices 210 through speech services 155 ordirectly from notification server 230 using various non-voice protocols,as previously discussed. Mixed-mode system 200 can receive contentthrough content input 215. It should be noted that notifications, bothverbal and non-verbal, are preferably session oriented. By providingsession oriented notifications, mobile subscriber 100 (FIG. 1) can“drill-down” through multiple menu levels.

In one example of how mixed-mode system 200 can be used, mobilesubscriber 110 (FIG. 1) sends a voice request from user devices 210 toHTTP server 220, via speech services 155. User devices 210 preferablyinclude mobile phones or other user devices capable of both voice anddata communications. However, in at least one embodiment, one device isa voice capable device, for example an older cellular telephone, andanother device is data only enabled, such as some PDAs. These twodevices can be used in combination to implement a mixed-mode systemcapable of sending voice requests and receiving data replies, or sendingdata requests and receiving voice replies.

Speech services 155 may include any suitable combination of hardware andsoftware needed for speech recognition and/or translation. In oneembodiment, speech services 155 is used to translate spoken requestsinto suitably formatted data for use by HTTP server 220. In otherembodiments, speech services 155 is used to translate replies from HTTPserver 220 into speech for delivery to a voice capable user device 210.Speech services 155 may also be used in conjunction with voice wallet252, as subsequently discussed.

Content received through content input 215 can be either voice contentthat is routed to HTTP server after translation by speech services 155,or data content delivered directly to HTTP server 220. The content caninclude recorded audio and/or visual content for display, various typesof information to be stored in database DBMS 256, or any other suitabletype of content that may provide value or aid in implementing thepresent invention.

HTTP server 220 employs services 250 to fulfill requests from userdevices 210. HTTP server 220 accesses services 250 through datatransformation service 240, which in turn uses message bus 270. Datatransformation service 240 supplies application program interfaces(APIs) for creating extensible markup language (XML) documents, as wellas converting between different XML document dialects that may beemployed by external commerce systems 260, or other external systems anddevices. Various suitable scripting languages may be employed to performthese functions consistent with the objects of the present invention.

External commerce systems 260 include Internet web sites and web pages,private systems maintained by companies for inventory, scheduling,transportation, or other similar systems. External commerce systems 260may be utilized to allow mobile subscriber 110 (FIG. 1) to makepurchases directly from merchants in control of external commercesystems 260. Alternatively, external commerce systems 260 may supplyinformation for storage in database DBMS 256 or for use by otherservices 250. Message bus 270 is used to add publish/subscribecapabilities to mixed-mode system 200, in addition to providing greaterinteroperability with external systems, improved internal modularitywithin mixed-mode system 200, and enhanced scalability.

Services 250 are used to provide value to mobile subscribers 110(FIG. 1) employing user devices 210 to make queries and receiveresponses. In at least one embodiment, voice wallet 252 provides asecure, yet easily accessible voice authenticated storage area forsensitive purchasing information. Voice wallet 252 allows for storage ofcredit card numbers, expiration dates, personal identification numbers(PINs), and other information that may be used for purchasingtransactions. Once a user stores purchasing information in his voicewallet 252, he does not need to enter the information again. To conductpurchase transactions, the user need only speak a predetermined phraseto recall any necessary transaction information, thereby eliminating theneed to enter information each time a new purchase transaction isdesired.

In at least one embodiment, the predetermined phrase is a user's phonenumber, or other non-secure phrase. To initialize security on his voicewallet 252, the user simply speaks the phrase, and the phrase isrecorded. When the user desires to access his voice wallet 252, he needonly speak the predetermined phrase into user device 210, whichtransmits the spoken phrase through speech services 155 to voice wallet252. Voice wallet 252 compares the spoken phrases characteristics withthe characteristics of the recorded phrase to determine if the speakeris authorized access to voice wallet 252. Using a voice authenticationsystem to secure sensitive credit card information can relieve the userof tedious data entry, while providing an extremely high level ofsecurity.

Another service, rules engine 254 works in conjunction with informationstored in database DBMS 256, and information received from externalcommerce system 260 and content input 215. Rules engine 254 correlatesconsumer interests with inventory attributes such as price, location andquantity, and with dynamic attributes such as time and threshold. Therules engine may be considered to be dual sided, inasmuch as one sideperforms evaluations of the interest rules and the other side evaluatesand executes notification rules. In a preferred embodiment, each rulecontains two sets of information. The first set of information is a 1 ton list of conditions and their Boolean relationships.

The second set of information is a 1 to n list of actions to be takenwhen particular rules are evaluated as true. A very basic example is arule that specifies sending an SMS message listing local producesuppliers with excess inventory in response to a standing request fornotification of produce available for purchase at three o'clock everybusiness day.

Much of the information upon which rules engine 254 operates is storedin database DBMS 256. DBMS 256 preferably includes user profilesdatabase 257 and inventory database 258.

Additional and/or different databases may be employed consistent withthe objects of the present invention. Inventory database 258 may includeinformation received from external commerce servers 260 and contentinput 215. User profiles database 257 preferably includes informationassociated with user preferences and purchasing patterns, shippingaddresses, payment information, and the like. Some of this informationis preferably supplied by mobile subscriber 110 (FIG. 1) through userdevices 210, and other information is gleaned from past user actions. Itwill be appreciated that user profiles database 257 can include anysuitable information that may be useful in providing mobile subscriber110 pertinent information regarding available purchasing options orotherwise.

Inventory database 258 preferably includes information regardingavailable merchandise, services, accommodations, or other itemsavailable for purchase. Preferably, inventory database 258 is updatedfrequently by external commerce systems 260, so that the information ininventory database 258 accurately reflects currently availablepurchasing opportunities. In at least one embodiment of the presentinvention, information in user profiles database 257 is compared againstcurrently available purchasing opportunities stored in inventorydatabase 258 using rules engine 254 to determine when, and what type ofnotification should be sent to particular mobile subscribers 110.

In addition to the information stored in database DBMS 256, rules engine254 may use information from location services 259 to determine when anotification should be sent to a particular one of user devices 210.Location services 259 are responsible for location determination andsearching functions. These functions include, but are not limited to,geocoding addresses, route plotting, dynamic positioning, geodeticdatabase searches, and the like. Once a mobile subscriber's position hasbeen determined, rules engine 254 can use the position information toidentify purchasing opportunities that are geographically relevant tothe mobile subscriber 110. Location services 259 can be used inconjunction with information from inventory database 258, externalcommerce systems 260 or content input 215 to ensure that only relevantinformation is delivered to mobile subscriber 110. For example, if amobile subscriber 110 is on a business trip, and submits a request tofind a tailor, the user probably has no use for the phone number of atailor in his home city, rather, he is likely to be interested only infinding a tailor near his current location. It will be appreciated thatvarious locating mechanisms, including the use of global positioningsatellite coordinates, user supplied coordinates, and locationinformation available from cellular and PCS telephone systems, can beused without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

Referring next to FIG. 3, a method of using a mixed-mode system toconduct commerce will be discussed according to one embodiment of thepresent invention. The method begins at step 310, in which purchasenotification criteria is obtained. Preferably, purchase notificationcriteria include specific circumstances or events identified by theuser, the occurrence of which should trigger a notification. Forexample, a collector may specify that he wants to be notified of anyElvis memorabilia being offered for sale in a set geographical areaaround the collectors home. In other embodiments, additionalnotification criteria obtained or derived from sources other than theuser may be employed consistent with the objects of the presentinvention. In addition to selecting conditions for notification, thecollector may specify the type of notification he wishes to receive. Forexample, if the Elvis memorabilia is priced over $1,000 dollars, he maydesire to receive an SMTP e-mail message on his mobile phone. If,however, the memorabilia is priced below $100 dollars, the collector maywish to receive an SMS message indicating contact information for theseller. In at least one embodiment, the notification may take the formof a voice notification via a mobile phone. Other notification methodshave been discussed with reference to FIG. 1.

Once the purchase notification criteria have been obtained in step 310,purchasing opportunity information is obtained in step 320. Purchasingopportunity information includes, but is not limited to, description ofthe item for sale, price, availability, location, and similarinformation. Purchasing opportunity information may be stored in adatabase, such as inventory database 258 in FIG. 2, or may be obtainedvia the Internet or otherwise in a near-real-time fashion.

The method continues with step 330, in which purchasing opportunitiesare selected from the purchasing opportunities obtained in step 320.This selection is preferably based on the purchasing notificationcriteria obtained in step 310. In effect, step 330 looks for purchasingopportunities supplied by merchants that match notification criteriasupplied by consumers. When a match is found, the method proceeds tostep 340, and the mobile subscriber is notified of selected purchasingopportunities that meet the notification criteria. Various methods thatcan be used to provide user notification of purchasing opportunitieshave already been discussed earlier.

In at least one example, when the notification is sent to a user, theuser's mobile device may provide an audible, visual or tactile alert tomake the user aware that a notification has been received. The alert maybe a special ringing or vibrating pattern, or any other suitable alert,including a standard ring, beep, etc. The user may respond to thenotification to which he has just been alerted with a voice request totake advantage of one or more of the selected purchasing opportunities.In at least one embodiment, either voice or data notifications establishnotification session, which incorporate drill-down type menus, so thatthe user can obtain more detailed or specific information.

In step 350 the user's voice request is received and processed bymixed-mode system 200 (FIG. 2). The processing may include accepting apurchase order, providing additional information regarding purchasingopportunities, altering the notification criteria, or otherwise. In manycases, a non-verbal response is delivered to the user's wireless devicein response to the spoken request, in the same manner as the originalnotification was delivered.

Note that while a particular embodiment of a method according to thepresent invention has been discussed, numerous suitable variations maybe employed in implementing the present invention. For example, in step350, the user may provide non-verbal input, such as depressing a“yes/no” button or a designated sequence of keys, instead of providingspoken input. In addition, step 360 may deliver a verbal responseinstead of a non-verbal response. Additionally, the originalnotification provided in step 340 could be delivered in the form of avoice call that notifies the user of purchasing opportunities. Finally,various steps may be omitted or added. For example, in one embodiment,the user sends a voice and/or data request for information without firstbeing prompted by a notification. The request may or may not be forinformation related to a purchase, and various embodiments of thepresent invention may be used for accessing the Internet or performingother purchase or non-purchase related tasks according to the mixed-modeprinciples set forth herein.

Referring next to FIG. 4, a basic business model according to oneembodiment of the present invention will be discussed. Consumer 410 isassumed to be concerned with three main purchasing factors: scheduling412, location 414, and interests 416. Scheduling 412 takes into accountwhether or not a purchasing opportunity is available when needed. Forexample, if a consumer 410 needs to purchase a new suit before animportant meeting in two weeks, then a sale beginning a month later doesnot meet the scheduling concerns of consumer 410. Location 414 isrelated to the current location of consumer 410; if consumer 410 is inCalifornia, he is unlikely to be interested in a renting a car in NewYork. Finally, interests 416 are related to user preferences. Ifconsumer 410 indicates that he is interested in purchasing amulti-family rental property on the North side of town, he is unlikelyto appreciate being notified every time a single family dwelling on theSouth side of town comes on the market. However, when a particularpurchasing opportunity satisfies all three of these factors, consumer410 is likely to consider taking advantage of that purchasingopportunity.

One purchasing factor that immediately comes to mind in most cases is aprice criterion. It will be appreciated that while not specificallyillustrated, price may be included as an element of interests 416.Continuing with the previous example, if the consumer wishes to purchasea multi-family rental property in a particular price range, thennotifying the consumer of opportunities that are significantly out ofthat range would likely be undesirable. Various methods of specifying aprice range of interest can be employed without departing from thespirit and scope of the present invention. One example of how priceranges can be used is, by asking a user to select a “price tolerancepreference” during an initial configuration phase, and presenting to theuser opportunities having prices within this specified “pricetolerance.” It will be appreciated that interests 416 are not limited toprice interests; instead interests 416 include any suitable userpreferences that may be associated with particular items, services,objects and the like.

Partner 420 has goods, services, real-estate, information, or otheritems available for purchase. Partner 420 is concerned with sellingfactors including product schedule 413, product location 415 andproducts 416. Product schedule 413 relates to the availability of theproduct for sale, and product location 415 relates to where the productis physically located. For example, if partner 420 is a nationwide chainof automobile dealerships with a large inventory of unsold four-wheeldrive trucks in Atlanta, but has a limited inventory of the samefour-wheel drive trucks in Dallas, partner 420 will be most interestedin attempting to sell the excess vehicles in Atlanta. The nature andquantity of products 416 to be sold are also a factor to be considered.

In at least one embodiment, a service provider employs a system 450 tocorrelate the purchase factors that are important to consumer 410, withthe selling factors used by partner 420. When selling factors align withpurchase factors, a notification of purchasing opportunities can beprovided to the consumer. As illustrated in FIG. 4, system 450 isexpandable to provide integration with both presently availableresources, as illustrated by consumer input/output technologies 460 andpartner input output technologies 465, and expected future technologicaladvances, such as future packet-based migration 440 and future locatortechnology 430.

In summary, consider the following examples of particular mixed-modetransactions according to different embodiments of the presentinvention. In a first embodiment, an individual is at a shopping mall,and notices a surfboard on sale for “50% off.” Wanting to know if theadvertised sale price is really a bargain, he uses his mobile phone toplace a voice request for surfboard prices. The request is received andtranslated by a system similar to the one described in FIG. 2. Thesystem access its own databases, and finds some relevant information.Next the system searches the Internet, and retrieves information aboutsurfboard prices from a dedicated surfboard resale web site. The systemcombines the information from the website and the database, and formatsthe information into an SMS text message. The SMS text message is usedto send the combined information to the individual's mobile phone, whichbeeps upon receipt of the message to alert the user. The mobile phoneuser then views the information received, but wants more informationabout a particular surf board listed in the message. In at least oneembodiment, the SMS text message includes drill-down menu capability.One way of providing drill-down capability is by including a WML tag inthe SMS text message, thereby allowing the user to access a URL wheremore information can be found. The user selects the WML tag, whichcauses his mobile phone to initiate an active browser session andautomatically direct him to the web site identified by the URL. The usernow has all the information he needs to make an informed decision.

In a second example, consider a mobile subscriber 110 as discussed inFIG. 1. In this example, mobile subscriber 110 is an executive of a foodpreparation corporation seeking new freezing equipment to use in thefreezing and preparation of frozen dinners. Since mobile subscriber 110is interested in equipment used in frozen food preparation, heconfigures notification criteria specifying that when any cryogenicfreezers become available for sale, he is to be notified by receipt ofboth an e-mail notification and a voice notification. Meanwhile, a smallstartup company begins manufacturing a new type of cryogenic freezer,and is looking for buyers. The small company partners with a provider ofmixed-mode wireless systems, and allows the provider to advertise thenew freezer to interested parties. The provider, through the use ofvarious rule systems discussed earlier, matches the executive'snotification criteria with the partner's selling criteria, anddetermines that a notification should be made.

The executive is called on his mobile phone, and a computer generatedvoice message is delivered, notifying him of the opportunity to purchasethe freezer. At the same time, an e-mail message containing relevantinformation is delivered to his mobile phone. The executive may respondto either the voice notification or the e-mail message using eitherverbal or non-verbal means. As noted earlier, both the verbalnotification and the non-verbal notification are preferably sessionoriented, thereby providing drill-down menu capabilities. Assuming thatthe executive responds to the voice notification by indicating that hewishes to purchase the freezer, he may be asked to speak a predeterminedphrase to access his voice wallet, thereby allowing the purchase to becompleted. Confirmation of the purchase can be sent to the executive'smobile phone using various messaging and/or voice formats.

In this third example, consider a mother running errands with herchildren. On her way home after a hectic shopping day, she realizes thatshe has forgotten to get one item; she needs to find a particular brandof pants in a hard to find size. Rather than going from store to storetrying to find the needed pair of pants, she places a call on her webcapable mobile phone and places a verbal request for the location of astore that has the needed pants in stock. She hangs up the phone, andmoments later her phone beeps, alerting her that she has received andSMS message. The SMS message, generated as discussed earlier, has alocation map of a store in her vicinity that keeps the desired pants instock. She may then drive to the store and pick up the item.Alternatively, she may send a response to the SMS message (either verbalor via the web capabilities of her mobile phone) and request that thestore put a hold on the pants. The store may, in turn, reply to therequest for a hold by calling the mother on her mobile phone (or sendinganother SMS message), confirming that the pants are indeed on hold.

Consider now a final example of how an embodiment of the presentinvention may be employed in assisting a sales representative to moreeffectively manage distressed inventory. Assume that a salesrepresentative for a candy company has a large lot of candy that isapproaching the end of its storage life, and needs to be sold quickly.Just prior to attending an out-of-town conference meeting, the salesrepresentative uses his wireless enabled mobile phone to verballyrequest a report on the number of units of candy sold in the pasttwenty-four hours. During the meeting, the sales representative receivesa non-verbal response to his request for a sales report. The salesrepresentative notes that sales are not proceeding as quickly as hewould like, and so he sends a non-verbal reply to the non-verbalresponse, indicating that the candy's price should be reduced by tenpercent.

In the preceding detailed description, reference has been made to theaccompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shownby way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention maybe practiced. These embodiments, and certain variants thereof, have beendescribed in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art topractice the invention, and it is to be understood that other suitableembodiments may be utilized and that logical, mechanical, chemical andelectrical changes may be made without departing from the spirit orscope of the invention. To avoid unnecessary detail, the descriptionomits certain information known to those skilled in the art. Thepreceding detailed description is, therefore, not intended to be limitedto the specific forms set forth herein, but on the contrary, it isintended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, ascan be reasonably included within the spirit and scope of the appendedclaims.

1. A method comprising: receiving spoken input from a wirelesscommunication device; retrieving information associated with the spokeninput; and delivering, to the wireless communication device, anon-verbal response to the spoken input, the non-verbal response basedon the retrieved information.
 2. The method as in claim 1, wherein thestep of delivering includes using a Wireless Markup Language to deliverthe non-verbal response.
 3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the stepof delivering includes using a Short Messaging Service message todeliver the non-verbal response.
 4. The method as in claim 1, whereinthe step of delivering includes using Simple Mail Transport Protocol todeliver the non-verbal response.
 5. The method as in claim 1, whereinthe non-verbal response includes the retrieved information.
 6. Themethod as in claim 1, wherein the non-verbal response includes a UniformResource Locator.
 7. The method as in claim 1, wherein the non-verbalresponse includes a Handheld Device Markup Language link.
 8. A systemcomprising a server configurable to: receive spoken input from awireless communication device; retrieve information associated with saidspoken input; and deliver, to said wireless communication device, anon-verbal response to said spoken input, said non-verbal response basedon said retrieved information.
 9. The system as in claim 8, furtherincluding a Wireless Applications Protocol gateway, said serverconfigurable to deliver said non-verbal response via said WirelessApplications Protocol gateway.
 10. The system as in claim 8, furtherincluding a Short Messaging Service gateway, said server configurable todeliver said non-verbal response via said Short Messaging Servicegateway.
 11. The system as in claim 8, further including a Simple MailTransport Protocol gateway, said server configurable to deliver saidnon-verbal response via said Simple Mail Transport Protocol gateway. 12.The system as in claim 8, wherein said non-verbal response includes saidretrieved information.
 13. The system as in claim 8, wherein saidnon-verbal response includes a Uniform Resource Locator.
 14. The systemas in claim 8, wherein said non-verbal response includes a HandheldDevice Markup Language link.
 15. A method comprising: obtaining, from awireless communication device user, purchase notification criteria;obtaining information associated with purchasing opportunities;selecting purchasing opportunities based, at least in part, on thepurchase notification criteria; notifying the user of selectedpurchasing opportunities via a wireless communication device; receivingspoken input from the wireless communication device in response to thenotification; and delivering, to the user's wireless communicationdevice, a non-verbal response to the spoken input.
 16. The method as inclaim 15, wherein the step of delivering includes using a WirelessMarkup Language to deliver the non-verbal response.
 17. The method as inclaim 15, wherein the step of delivering includes using a ShortMessaging Service message to deliver the non-verbal response.
 18. Themethod as in claim 15, wherein the step of delivering includes usingSimple Mail Transport Protocol to deliver the non-verbal response. 19.The method as in claim 15, wherein the non-verbal response includesinformation associated with the selected purchasing opportunities. 20.The method as in claim 15, wherein the non-verbal response includes aUniform Resource Locator.
 21. The method as in claim 15, wherein thenon-verbal response includes a Handheld Device Markup Language link. 22.A method comprising: receiving non-verbal input from a wirelesscommunication device; retrieving information associated with thenon-verbal input; and delivering, to the wireless communication device,a verbal response to the non-verbal input, the verbal response based onthe retrieved information.
 23. The method as in claim 22, wherein thestep of delivering includes using a Wireless Markup Language to deliverthe non-verbal response.
 24. The method as in claim 22, wherein the stepof delivering includes using a Short Messaging Service message todeliver the non-verbal response.
 25. The method as in claim 22, whereinthe step of delivering includes using Simple Mail Transport Protocol todeliver the non-verbal response.
 26. The method as in claim 22, whereinthe non-verbal response includes the retrieved information.
 27. Themethod as in claim 22, wherein the non-verbal response includes aUniform Resource Locator.
 28. The method as in claim 22, wherein thenon-verbal response includes a Handheld Device Markup Language link. 29.A method comprising: obtaining, from a wireless communication deviceuser, purchase notification criteria; obtaining information associatedwith purchasing opportunities; selecting purchasing opportunities based,at least in part, on the purchase notification criteria; notifying theuser of selected purchasing opportunities via a wireless communicationdevice; receiving non-verbal input from the wireless communicationdevice in response to the notification; and delivering, to the user'swireless communication device, a verbal response to the spoken input.30. A system comprising a server configurable to: receive non-verbalinput from a wireless communication device; retrieve informationassociated with said non-verbal input; and deliver, to said wirelesscommunication device, a verbal response to said non-verbal input, saidverbal response based on said retrieved information.